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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · jam · charge · bass · squash · swing · bulb · coach

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. squash — the sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. charge — electricity
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. charge — a price
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the fish
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — low music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com